How to Wear Metallic Accessories

Hi Imogen-I really enjoy your blog & have learned a lot! My question-are ‘metallic’ accessories (handbag, shoes) considered to go with a certain season or can they be worn all year? I really appreciate your thoughts on this-thank you.

I love metallic accessories to add some interest and dress up an outfit. Anything with a reflective surface gives a more dressy appearance than a matte finish.

You can choose from light and shiny metallics – which are more summery or for evening wear, to darker and more brushed metallics which are great in winter.

Metallics are most easily worn in the evening, a clutch or shoe in a metallic fabric is the perfect way to take your outfit from day to night.

Generally keep your metallics to your best colour range – gold or copper if you are warm, silver or pewter if you are cool. Rose gold can be worn by both warm and cool people.

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10 Comments

I love metallics as they are the perfect neutral accessory for someone who doesn’t like accessories! A bit of subtle bling in a bag or shoe (even flats) can lift an outfit. We need to wear shoes and most of us need to carry our stuff around, so why not be a little stylish?
My favourite metallics are pewter sandals, grainy textured dull silver tote and I really have found many uses for a silver sneaker. Lauren Hutton looked fab wearing a white shirt, white slim pants and silver sneakers. So easy. So chic.

No wonder I always drawn to mixed metals, because I love wearing both gold and silver, but not together but thats happening with neutrals and colors as well, for example black with peach and gold or grey and yellow! Also, now that Im wearing more mixed metal accessories I find the grey + yellow combination looks more appealing (not so keen with wearing silver with yellow, gold with grey).

But for some reason, Im struggling with coordinating mixed metals, because my personal style is leaning towards classic “matchy-matchy” (matching belt with bag or shoes or wearing one-tone jewelry) so Im struggling with how combine silver or gold accessories when wearing a mixed-metal piece.
My dress watch is in silver and gold so I get a bit lost whether I should stick to wearing one metallic with it or wearing a combination of both like a silver ring on one hand and gold bracelet on the other. :S I read your post about mixing metals that it looks like best if one is worn in bigger amount then the other, but I always end up wearing restricted gold or silver in my outfit because Im sceptical about wearing both gold and silver at the same time.
I guess it has to my personality, an habit that Im fairly matchy-matchy (but buckles on accessories, I dont bother whether they are silver or gold because I dont feel buying two black totes because of the hardware).

I’m wearing an emerald maxi dress to a wedding and I’m trying to figure out what color shoes would look best. I read your post on visual grouping; I’m a dark brunette with medium toned skin. I always thought of green as a cool color, therefore picking silver shoes, but gold seems like it would go best with my own tones. Which would you recommend?